The Fair Lady You Were-Why Become a Bandit?

Ever since he was little, let alone killing people, Su Fan had never even killed a chicken.

The first time he had seen blood, he had chopped two people into several pieces, and the sight had disgusted him to no end.

But disgust was disgust. If he had to do it all over again, Su Fan still wouldn't have held back.

They had brought the fight right to his door. Was he supposed to reason with them?

He entered the house, took out a rope, tied up the unconscious man, and stuffed a wad of cloth into his mouth.

After binding the captive, Su Fan began searching the corpse.

A little over twenty spirit stones, several hundred Magic Coins, more than a dozen talismans, and three Magic Daggers.

Just like him, the three of them were dirt poor.

Any Bandit Leader with even a shred of ambition would never have targeted him.

He took out two bags, endured the urge to vomit as he stuffed the courtyard's mangled corpses and severed limbs inside, then pushed open the door and left.

After a while, he returned to the courtyard and woke the captive.

The man was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.

He stared at Su Fan in terror, as if he had seen a ghost.

The three of them were all at the Qi Refining Third Layer.

Dealing with a little cultivator at the Qi Refining Second Layer should have been child's play.

Yet in a single exchange, they had been thoroughly beaten. Was there any justice in this world?

He begged incessantly, "Fellow Daoist... spare me... please... spare... ah..."

Su Fan reached out, clamped a hand around the Bandit Leader's neck, and abruptly hoisted him off the ground.

The bodies of Body Cultivators were formidable, and their strength far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.

With a little force, he could easily snap the man's neck.

Once a Body Cultivator got within arm's reach, everyone else was just a younger brother.

Su Fan stared at him expressionlessly for a while before asking his questions.

"I ask, you answer. If you dare lie to me, I'll chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs..."

The Bandit Leader wasn't very brave. The moment Su Fan threatened him, he spilled everything.

Their group wasn't made up of professional bandits. Usually, they teamed up to enter the mountains and hunt demonic beasts, occasionally coming out to do dirty work.

The Bandit Leader was a cultivator at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. He was extremely cunning and exceptionally cautious.

When hunting, they never greedily targeted anything too big. They only sought out low-level cultivators and had never failed.

Most of their information about their prey came from a female cultivator at a shop in the market district.

That female cultivator was the girl Su Fan had met when he sold the Storage Bag at the shop.

Seeing that Su Fan's cultivation was low, she had secretly marked him inside the shop. The others had used a secret technique to locate this place.

Su Fan's entire worldview shattered. That girl seemed so nice—why would she do such a thing?

From now on, I'll never trust women again.

This time, they had still been extremely cautious. They had waited outside for two days before choosing today to strike.

But they never could have imagined that Su Fan had scratched himself for most of the night and hadn't slept at all.

If they had come a day earlier, this group really would have succeeded.

Su Fan learned the location of their lair. Four people were still there.

That included the Bandit Leader and the girl from the shop. The two were Dao companions.

In such a situation, of course he had to pull up the weeds by the roots and eliminate every hidden danger.

But the enemy was at the Mid Qi Refining Stage, which made him hesitate.

After considering it for only a few seconds, Su Fan decided to catch them off guard, charge straight into their lair, and wipe them out at any cost.

If he missed this opportunity, he could only flee for his life from then on.

That night, the stars filled the sky, and the shantytown was utterly tranquil.

Su Fan carried the Bandit Leader through the narrow alleys at a brisk pace.

"Fellow Daoist, we're here... here..."

Bound tightly from head to toe, the Bandit Leader had been carried all the way there and was nearly shaken to death.

Su Fan pointed at the pitch-black alley and said, "Is it here?"

"It's here, Fellow Daoist. Could you put me down so I can catch my breath?"

With a "thud,"

he flung the man onto the ground, then crouched down and stared at him expressionlessly.

"You get only one chance..."

The man nodded frantically and said obsequiously, "Fellow Daoist, you have to keep your word..."

"Enough nonsense..."

Su Fan stuffed a wad of cloth into the man's mouth and was just about to carry the Bandit Leader into the alley.

Suddenly, a scorching sensation came from his waist.

He stopped and touched the area. The bag holding his talismans was faintly hot.

Su Fan turned around and looked toward the pitch-black alley beside him.

At that moment, a sinister wind swept over, leaving the back of his neck cold and clammy.

He seemed to hear a faint whisper by his ear. The sound drifted around him, appearing and disappearing.

"Fuck..."

Su Fan immediately felt his hair stand on end. What the hell was this?

He suddenly shuddered.

The icy aura was like a flood released from a breached dam, flowing along his arm and trying to burrow into his body.

Su Fan felt as if his spirit had been frozen solid. His mind went blank.

Then his chest suddenly grew hot, and scorching energy spread instantly throughout his body.

"Hiss..."

Su Fan was on the verge of losing consciousness when he heard a shrill hiss and abruptly came to his senses.

At that moment, cold sweat poured down his body. His back was soaked, as if he had been pulled from the water.

Su Fan shook his head and quickly turned around to survey his surroundings.

But the sensation from before had already vanished, as if it had never happened.

Su Fan exhaled, his heart wavering.

I definitely encountered something filthy just now. Should I give up?

After hesitating for a while, he still decided to attack the enemy's lair.

He glanced back once more, then carried the Bandit Leader into the pitch-black alley.

When they passed a courtyard, the Bandit Leader began struggling violently.

Su Fan stopped and pointed at the courtyard.

Seeing the man nod, Su Fan walked to the courtyard gate and gently placed the Bandit Leader on the ground.

He slapped the gate three times, then once, and finally twice.

"Who is it..."

A voice came from inside. Su Fan pressed the Magic Dagger against the Bandit Leader's neck.

He removed the cloth from the man's mouth and nodded at him.

"It's me, Old Fourth..."

Hearing this, the man inside chuckled. "What took you so long? What have you been doing?"

At the sound of the door opening, Su Fan clamped the Bandit Leader's mouth shut and drew the Magic Dagger hard across his neck.

The Bandit Leader glared at Su Fan, his eyes filled with unwillingness and resentment.

At that moment, the door opened.

A burly man walked out through the gate, yawning widely.

From the shadows, Su Fan's right hand seized his neck and squeezed hard.

With a "crack," he crushed the man's windpipe.

The burly man glared with bulging eyes and struggled violently a few times before the light slowly faded from his gaze.

Su Fan gently laid him on the ground, took out the "Adamantine Talisman" and "Golden Shield Talisman" from his robe, and slapped them onto himself.

A flash of spiritual energy shimmered across his body, as if he had been enveloped in a golden halo.

A golden light shield floated before him, bobbing constantly with his movements.

Su Fan drew the Magic Sword from his back, gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, and strode into the courtyard.

"Was that Old Fifth and the others coming back?"

Someone rubbed his bleary eyes and pushed open the inner door.

He suddenly realized something was wrong. Just as he was about to shout, the Magic Sword had already pierced into his mouth, its tip jutting out through the back of his head.

Su Fan kicked the man aside and charged into the room.

A candle burned inside. Su Fan swept it over with one stroke of his sword, and the room instantly plunged into darkness.

"Who..."

A person emerged from the inner room, slapped a talisman onto himself, and raised a green light shield to protect his body.

Su Fan flung two "Flash Talismans" over,

With a "boom,"

the "Flash Talismans" exploded inside the room, instantly erupting into two blinding bursts of light.

"Ah..."

The Bandit Leader had clearly not expected this move. The sudden glare blinded him.

But his reaction was extremely fast. He slapped the Storage Bag at his waist, formed a hand seal with his right hand, and pointed forward with his left sword finger.

A flying dagger artifact shot toward him with a whoosh, arriving in an instant.

The artifact was too fast. Su Fan had no time to dodge.

Gripping his sword with both hands, he unleashed a fierce Rage Slash at the flying dagger.

"Bang..."

The Magic Sword that struck the flying dagger shattered with a thunderous crack.

The flying dagger was also knocked off course and whistled past his side.

[Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes +1]

Su Fan was sent flying by the tremendous force, and the golden light shield around him trembled violently.

He stamped one leg against the ground and only barely managed to steady himself.

With his right hand, he pulled out a talisman and took advantage of the momentum to fling the "Golden Blade Talisman."

A dazzling golden light flashed. In an instant, it formed a huge golden blade of light that slashed toward the Bandit Leader.

The enormous golden blade struck the green light shield with crushing force.

With a "boom,"

the two talismans exploded simultaneously. The blade of light and the green shield around the enemy both burst apart.

Su Fan took advantage of the opening, stamped his right foot against the ground, and charged at the Bandit Leader.

The distance of several meters vanished in a single step.

With a "bang,"

he slammed into the Bandit Leader and drove him forward.

The door shattered into pieces, and the two of them crashed into the inner room together.

The Bandit Leader's back struck the inner wall heavily, and he spat out a mouthful of blood with a "puff."

He endured the pain, formed a hand seal, and chanted an incantation. The flying dagger transformed into a streak of light and sped in from the outer room.

Su Fan knew he wouldn't make it in time. Gritting his teeth, he crouched and let the small golden shield rise before him.

"Bang..."

The small golden shield abruptly expanded. Although it blocked the flying dagger, its aura had clearly dimmed considerably.

The flying dagger looped through the air and came whistling back. It pierced through the Golden Shield in an instant, only to be stopped outside the light shield of the Adamantine Talisman.

Su Fan drew the Magic Dagger from his waist, pivoted on one foot, spun rapidly, and swept his arm horizontally with the dagger in hand.

"Whirlwind Slash..."

The enemy controlled the flying dagger artifact, thinking he could easily kill this little cultivator.

He had never expected Su Fan to use two mid-grade Protective Talismans.

He slapped his Storage Bag, intending to take out a talisman for protection.

Before he could retrieve it, the Magic Dagger had already slashed across his throat, severing most of his neck.

With a "clatter,"

the flying dagger artifact that had been racing over once more fell to the ground behind Su Fan.

[Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes +1]

Su Fan let out a long breath. If he had been even slightly slower, he would have been the one lying dead.

The two had exchanged spells in the span of only a few breaths.

Yet Su Fan felt as though an entire lifetime had passed.

"Wait, there's still someone else in the room..."

At that thought, he turned around and surveyed the room, discovering someone hiding in the corner.

He walked over with the blood-dripping Magic Dagger in hand and saw the girl sitting there, hugging her knees and sobbing softly.

Her hair was disheveled, and she used a tattered Daoist robe to cover her naked body.

She raised her head and looked at him with clear eyes, appearing pitiful and helpless, like a small animal that had gotten lost.

"I... I was captured by them. Sob..."

Su Fan smiled. This acting... she could be an empress.

"Get up. It's all right now..."

The young woman wept with joy, a trace of cunning flashing through her eyes.

She tightened her Daoist robe and leaned against the wall as she stood up. The moment she turned around, the Magic Dagger swept across her neck.

Watching the young woman collapse to the ground, Su Fan felt hollow inside.

It felt as though he had shattered a beautiful scene with his own hands.

You were a fine woman. Why did you have to become a thief?

Su Fan stood there and took several deep breaths.

Though he had looked so exhilarated while killing just now, he had been forced into it.

Faced with the threat of death, all he had thought of was picking up his sword and defending his life.

But in the end, he had killed someone.

Once it was all over, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He was terrified, shaken by the aftermath, and even faintly excited.

Su Fan walked over to the bandit cultivator and removed his Storage Bag.

He searched the room thoroughly as well, then turned and walked out of the courtyard, vanishing into the pitch-black night.

After a while, a black-clad figure draped in a cloak emerged from the shadows.

The figure glanced in the direction Su Fan had left, then walked into the small courtyard.